A Day at the Aspen Ideas Festival

Start your day by taking in the spectacular natural beauty of Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley. There are plenty of ways to get outside. Follow local naturalists on a sunrise hike beneath the famous Maroon Bells and learn about the plants and animals that call this majestic wilderness home. Get centered with an outdoor yoga practice on the Aspen Institute’s wondrous 40-acre campus. Join a local bird expert for a bird-watching walk along the banks of Castle Creek and the Roaring Fork River. Grab your sneakers and join a guided trail run along rivers and through forests on Aspen’s remarkable network of trails. Once you’re nice and limber, pick a morning session that sparks your curiosity.

Now that you’ve stretched your body, it’s time to stretch your mind. The Aspen Ideas Festival is centered around conversation. From lectures and panel discussions to debates and interviews, our programming encourages interaction and deep reflection. We strive to address critical issues and elevate amazing solutions by bringing to the stage the most inspiring, provocative, and expert minds at work today. Hear from these incredible thinkers and leaders — who come to Aspen from across the globe — as they engage in deep and inquisitive discussion of the issues that shape our lives and challenge our times. 

More than a convening of big thinkers and chance meetings, the Aspen Ideas Festival is an experience…in a setting that evokes awe. A foundational part of this experience is the connections you’ll make. Chat with fellow attendees as you travel the paths that wind through campus. Meet public officials, artists, and entrepreneurs as you mingle around town in between sessions. And don’t forget to feed your brain! Make new connections and fuel up for an afternoon of lively discussion as you recharge at the espresso bar and grab lunch under the shade of quaking aspens. You’ll expand your community by meeting new people who share the values of curiosity and intellectual exchange.

You still have time to take in some inspiration before the day is over. Maybe it’s a live music performance, a media roundtable, or a one-on-one interview with a leader you admire. Whichever session you choose for the evening, we promise it will leave you dreaming about big ideas. And the best part? You get to do it all again tomorrow.

Don’t miss out on days packed full of stimulating presentations, substantive conversations, and interactive experiences that will provoke, enlighten, and inspire. 

Join us for a memorable Aspen Ideas Festival. Registration is open now.